Slain TSA Screener, 39, Was Father of 2

Victim identified as Gerardo Hernandez
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 2, 2013 6:12 AM CDT
Slain TSA Agent, 39, Was Father of 2
Los Angeles police and California Highway Patrol officers in front of Terminal 3 Friday.   (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

The first TSA employee killed on duty since the agency was created after 9/11 has been identified as 39-year-old Gerardo Hernandez. “It’s devastating because he was such a great guy," a friend tells NBC Los Angeles."All he talked about was his family." Hernandez, a "behavior-detection officer" tasked with looking for suspicious passengers, had a son and daughter, reports CBS Los Angeles. He is the lone fatality from yesterday's shooting inside LAX.

Two other TSA workers were hurt in the shooting, reports AP, and their conditions aren't known. Another person suffered a broken ankle amid the chaos. Suspect Paul Ciancia was shot multiple times and remains hospitalized as authorities try to sort out his motive. As reported earlier, he carried a note expressing "disappointment with the government," particularly the NSA, notes the LA Times. He had reportedly texted a sibling back in New Jersey that he was ready to die. (More LAX shooting stories.)

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